Written by

About 100 opponents of hydraulic fracturing by the gas industry turned out for a protest Wednesday morning outside the front door of Talisman Energy on Daniel Zenker Drive in Big Flats.

The event lasted about 30 minutes, largely in the front parking lot and outside the front door. It featured speeches against drilling in New York cited safety records of companies in the field and spills that have taken place at drill sites in the Northern Tier and called for protecting water sources. The group also sang several songs and broke into extended chanting, at times, against fracking.

Many participants were local, with a heavy contingent from Ithaca, but some coming from up to three hours away, organizers said. This was the first public action by the group, Shaleshock Direct Action Group, which plans more protests against companies in the region's gas-drilling industry.

Organizer Nell Gagnon, of Ithaca, read a statement directed to John Manzoni, Talisman's CEO and president.

"Together, we will use our bodies as a source of strength, when our words are not being heard. Everywhere you drill a well, we will be there to stop it. When the first fracking truck drives to pour toxic chemicals into the ground, we will be there to block the road," Gagnon said, reading form a statement.

No company representatives ventured outside the building, the doors were locked and word circulated among the protestors that the building was in lockdown. One casualty of the event was a postal worker who was unable to deliver the mail to the building. He returned later, about 11:20 a.m., after the crowd had ventured down to Daniel Zenker Drive. A few officers from the Chemung County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police showed up at the end of the demonstration and stood outside the front doors till the entire crowd dispersed.